WILTON -- Actor Charles Grodin, seen on the silver screen in films such as "Midnight Run" and "Beethoven," stepped again in front of the camera last week, this time to raise awareness for mental health.

Laurel House, a Stamford nonprofit focused on combating mental illness and preventing homelessness, recruited Grodin to film public service announcements in support of mental health services. The goal is to encourage people with emotional or mental illness to seek help, Laurel House President and CEO Linda Autore said.

"We really want to promote people acknowledging that they may need some kind of help; whether it's Laurel House or somewhere else," Autore said. "Because there's still a stigma associated with mental illness."

The 15- and 30-second PSAs will air throughout the region in September, which is national recovery month for mental illness and substance abuse, Autore said. The television spots were filmed at the Wilton Library.

Grodin first spoke in support of Laurel House last year during an educational event at Norwalk Community College. He said he became involved with mental health advocacy through his work with inmates at a correctional facility for women in Bedford Hills, N.Y.

"Many of the women there are mentally ill," Grodin said Thursday. "Most of the people incarcerated in America are either dealing with drug problems or mental illness."

Grodin said he doesn't think prisons in the United States are equipped to deal with "these very overwhelming problems.

"You have women at Bedford Hills eating their mattresses and banging their heads across the wall," Grodin said. "This is not a simple issue. You really need trained professionals."

Grodin's advocacy work with prison inmates compliments his support for mental health resources like Laurel House, Autore said.

"I think there's a synergy with what he is doing with the correctional facilities," she said. "There is a high concentration of mental illness there."

Grodin is an actor, comedian, author and founder of the Lend a Hand charitable foundation. He contributes a regular commentary segment to CBS network news radio, which he records and broadcasts from his home in Wilton.

Laurel House, located on Washington Boulevard in downtown Stamford, provides resources and shelter for people battling mental illnesses or homelessness. The facility's clients come from across the Stamford-Norwalk area, Autore said.

Laurel House treated 531 people and 81 families in 2011, Autore said. It provided housing to 75 people and helped 151 clients find jobs, she said.